Elevated water tank including bolted panel support pedestal

ABSTRACT

An elevated water tank utilizing an integrated field erected and bolted panels, such as, by way of example, steel rolled tapered panels (RTP) having epoxy powder-coated construction. The outer bolted steel reinforced panels are integral and co-linear with the preferably cylindrically shaped exterior reservoir walls thereabove providing reservoir perimeter structural support. The bolted steel reinforced panels are to provide support of a reinforced interstitial steel floor to grade, and either both or only one of an inner support pedestal of a transverse dimension less than that of the reservoir, or an outer support pedestal having substantially the same cross sectional configuration and size as the reservoir thereabove, may be so constructed. The reservoir and pedestal structure preferably use factory epoxy coated steel construction and are most preferably field installed utilizing synchronized hydraulic screw jack or traditional elevated field construction techniques.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/120,266 filed Dec. 5, 2008, the entiredisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention concerns an elevated tank having a bolted panelsupport pedestal and associated method of construction for holdingliquids above a surface. More particularly, it is directed to a watertank structure and associated method wherein metal panels are assembledby bolting the panels together and which may be progressively elevatedor formed at the intended elevation, either with an integratedwater-holding tank or reservoir or as a supporting pedestal for a tankor reservoir of different construction.

2. Description of the Prior Art

As used herein, elevated water tanks refer to tanks or reservoirssupported by a pedestal above the surrounding ground and intended forlarge industrial water storage or for use by municipal or othergovernmental bodies such as rural water districts. Elevated waterstorage has been and continues to be in high demand worldwide as urbansprawl necessitates increased water storage capacity and infrastructurestandards are continually updated and developed. Elevated water storageis ordinarily used when ground elevation storage in reservoirs and thelike is insufficient to ensure distribution of water at suitablepressures by gravity. A variety of water tank constructions are wellknown to those skilled in the art, ranging from concrete and masonrystructures to more contemporary field welded construction. One type ofconstruction is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,426, which includes precastconcrete panels as a support pedestal below a steel storage tank orreservoir. This construction, however, is heavy and requires the use ofkeys and keyways and staggering of the precast concrete panels.

Currently, the American Water Works Association (AWWA) is the governingbody in the United States for establishing standards and specifyingwater storage vessels, and also categorizes elevated tanks as weldedvessels which have two distinct components: the tank and the supportingstructure (AWWA M42).

Variations exist for welded storage vessels and their respectivesupporting methodology and are typically categorized by their storagecapacities and support styles. Small, medium and large capacity elevatedtanks and multiple support leg or single pedestal support styles arecommon. All current designs for elevated tanks use a concrete supportpedestal, field-welded steel support pedestals, or multiple field-weldsupport assemblies.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a goal of the present invention to provide an economical andefficient elevated water tank having a bolted panel support pedestalwhich may be mass produced and having the ability for safe an efficientconstruction in the field. Such an elevated tank can use an integratedbolted panel support pedestal and elevated water reservoir, or a boltedpanel support pedestal below a tank or reservoir of differentconstruction.

The elevated water tank of the present invention has a support pedestaland an elevated reservoir. The pedestal of the elevated water tank usesan integrated field erected construction where the support pedestal isassembled using threaded fasteners (such as bolts and nuts rather thanwelded construction) and reinforced panels. These panels are preferablyrolled tapered panels (RTP) which are reinforced and have epoxy powdercoating. The outer bolted steel reinforced panels are thus capable ofbeing integral, that is bolted together as a unitary, integral unit, forboth the support pedestal and the reservoir. The support pedestal andtank may be in a variety of shapes, such as polygons, ovals or irregularshapes, but one economical shape is that of a generally cylindricalconfiguration and providing reservoir perimeter structural support.Also, an inner pedestal of bolted steel reinforced panels may beprovided for support of a reinforced interstitial steel floor to grade,i.e. the level of the supporting surface. The reservoir and outersupport pedestal structure are provided as one integrated unit and mostpreferably utilize factory epoxy coated steel panel construction andwill be field installed by bolting. The installation most preferablyutilizes synchronized hydraulic screw jack or traditional fieldconstruction techniques.

The elevated water tank and method hereof provides the capability toproduce tank capacities in a wide range of sizes, for example 100,000gallons to 2,000,000 gallons. Pedestals may be of a variety of heightsdepending on design considerations, such as from about 30 feet up to 110feet in height. Preferably, all pedestal construction will be bolted RTPconstruction with vertical structural supports and when viewed in plan,the outer support pedestal will be substantially congruent with theouter wall of the reservoir in shape and size, so that in a cylindricalwater tank, the outer wall of the reservoir is in registry with the wallof the outer support pedestal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the water tank of the presentinvention having an elevated water reservoir atop an outer supportpedestal;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the water tank similar to FIG. 1,but with portions of the outer support pedestal broken away to show aninner pedestal for additional support of the elevated water reservoir;

FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating the position of the inner pedestal,the outer support pedestal, and the supports for the interstitial floorof the water tank hereof;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along lineA-A of FIG. 3 showing the RTP outer pedestal and RTP inner pedestal andinterstitial floor assembly;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged perspective rear view showing the boltedconnection between four RTP as used in the tank and pedestals of thewater tank hereof;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective front view showing the interiorappearance of the bolted RTP of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a jack and showing a panel for use inthe water tank of the present invention temporarily supported on thejack for field erection of the tank;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a foundation structure on grade, abase band formed of panels, and jacks to which the RTP of the outersupport pedestal are carried for bolting;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a tank which is in the process offield erection including bolted RTP's around the pedestal stiffeners andwithout the internal pedestal;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a tank having bolted RTP panels as apart of the integrated tank wall;

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of a tank having a central pedestal and aplurality of peripheral pedestals interconnected by pedestal stiffeners;

FIG. 12 is an elevational view of the tank of FIG. 11, showing thepedestal stiffeners;

FIG. 13 is a top plan view of another tank having a central pedestal anda plurality of peripheral pedestals interconnected by pedestalstiffeners;

FIG. 14 is an elevational view of the tank of FIG. 13, showing thepedestal stiffeners;

FIG. 15 is a top plan view of another tank having a central pedestal anda plurality of peripheral pedestals interconnected by pedestalstiffeners;

FIG. 16 is an elevational view of the tank of FIG. 15, showing thepedestal stiffeners;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a tank in accordance with the presentinvention looking upwardly from the bottom of the pedestal whereinscaffold construction techniques are employed to erect the pedestal andreservoir; and

FIG. 18 is a perspective view looking upwardly to show a portion of thereinforced interstitial floor of the reservoir during construction andbolted panels supported thereon for forming the outer wall of thereservoir, with the bolted panels of the support pedestal not shown forclarity.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawing, an elevated water tank 10 in accordancewith the present invention includes an elevated reservoir 12 and anouter support pedestal 14 as shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3, and 4. Thereservoir 12 and outer support pedestal 14 are integrally constructedusing bolted panels 16 such as, by way of example, rolled tapered metalpanels (RTP) or API 12B panels, such panels 16 being fastened togetherusing threaded connectors as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, such as bolt andnut pairs through holes around the perimeter of the metal panels 16. Inthis manner, the RTPs 16 maybe combined and assembled in an integratedouter wall 18 of the reservoir 12 and outer support pedestal 14 duringassembly in order to provide an integrated structure for the elevatedwater tank 10. As may be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, and detailed further inFIGS. 5 and 6, the RTPs 16 are bolted together arranged in side-by-sidecircumscribing bands, with the side margins of the panels substantiallyin vertical alignment whereby the panels 16 of a lower band are alignedwith those of a band thereabove. Thus, the appearance of the panels 16is an arrangement in aligned rows making up the bands, and columns.

In greater detail, the elevated water tank 10 is constructed with outerwall 18 forming both the outer, water-containing wall 20 of thereservoir 12 and a skirt wall 22 of the pedestal 14 which supports thewater-containing wall 20, as best seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4. While theouter wall 18 may be of various shapes when viewed in plan, mostpreferably the water-containing wall 20 and the skirt wall 22 arecontinuous, cylindrical and co-planar, and constructed of bolted RTPs16. The tank 10 includes a penthouse 24, a sloping roof 26 extendingdownward and radially outward from the penthouse 24, an outer accessstaircase 28 leading from a lower access platform 30 to an upper accessplatform 32, The outer wall 18 also has an access door 34 leading to thelower access platform 30, which is itself accessible by inner spiralstaircase 36. A reinforced interstitial floor 38 of the reservoir 12 iselevated relative to the lower access platform 30 and encloses thebottom of the reservoir 12 to contain the water received therein. Asseen in FIG. 4, the skirt wall 22 of the pedestal 14 is preferablyreinforced by pedestal stiffeners 40 which may be steel I-beams or thelike. The RTPs 16 of the skirt wall 22 may be bolted to the pedestalstiffeners 40 as shown in FIG. 4.

An inner support pedestal 42 may also be constructed of bolted RTPwithin the skirt wall 22 and also supports the reinforced interstitialfloor 38. The inner support pedestal 42 is preferably reinforced withpedestal stiffeners 44 such as steel I-beams or the like to provideadditional structural support. The area between the skirt wall 22 andthe inner pedestal 42 provides a space for the inner spiral staircase 36and an interior mechanical operation room 46. In the reinforcedinterstitial floor 38 as seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, a plurality of floorspokes 48 extend radially from the inner support pedestal 42 to theskirt wall 22 as a spoke floor assembly 50, and sit atop and are boltedto the pedestal stiffeners 40 and 44. The floor spokes 48 are, forexample, steel I-beams and may be circumferentially arrayed and extendradially from the inner support pedestal 42 wall. These floor spokes 48may further be braced against lateral movement by tie braces 52 whichare arranged as a tie brace array 54 intermediate the inner supportpedestal 42 and the outer support pedestal 14, and in the configurationillustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, the tie braces 52 are arranged as chordsof a circle positioned between the floor spokes 48. Another alternativefor supporting the reservoir wall 18 is to use structural steel beamsarranged as an external frame 53 with tie braces 52 as shown in FIG. 18.Depending on the size and design, several such tie brace arrays 54 maybe used for reinforcing the spoke floor assembly 50. Additional steelbeams 55 may be positioned to extend generally horizontally across thetop of the inner support pedestal for additional reinforcement.

The interstitial floor 38 divides the reservoir 12 from the pedestals 14and 42 and helps to support the reservoir thereon. As shown in FIGS. 3and 4, it may include a support floor 56 which is supported atop andpreferably bolted to the spoke floor assembly 50, the tie brace array54, the pedestal stiffeners 40 and the pedestal stiffeners 44. Thesupport floor 56 may be provided of steel panels including RTP whenbolted construction is used, or alternatively of reinforced concrete orother suitable materials. The support floor 56 can be provided withstructural angles 58 which may be bolted to the RTPs of the outersupport pedestal 14 and the inner support pedestal 42. A water tankbottom 60 is typically provided atop the support floor 56 of boltedsteel panels, which may be RTP but not necessarily of RTP construction,or poured concrete. The water tank bottom 60 can be provided with asynthetic sealant material atop the support floor.

FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a precision taper and mitered cornerconstruction of four RTP 16. The RTP 16 are bolted together using bolts62 and nuts 64 and sealant 75 of a gasket or edge seal to provide leakresistant construction, and the use of epoxy powder-coated RTP 16resists corrosion and leakage. In the present invention, the reservoir12 and the pedestal 14 are formed and connected by RTP boltedconstruction to provide an integrated construction.

FIG. 7 illustrates a typical jack 66 useful in field erection of thetank 10 using RTP 16. As shown in FIG. 7 and with further reference toFIGS. 8, 9 and 10, a plurality of jacks 66 are circumferentially spacedaround the foundation 68 of the tank 10. Pedestal stiffeners 40, hereshown as steel beams, are also installed. The RTP are supported on thejacks and assembled to present a continuous circumferentially extendingbolted band 70. As each band 70 is assembled, the jacks 66 operatesynchronously to raise the band 70 (and those bands previouslyconstructed which lie thereabove and form a part of the respectivewall). This permits additional RTP to be positioned and bolted to theband thereabove and also to the pedestal stiffeners 40, thereby formingthe respective outer wall 18 of the reservoir 12 and outer supportpedestal 14, or alternatively of inner support pedestal 42. Once theouter wall 18 is completed, the outer wall 18 of both the pedestal 14and the reservoir 12 is unitary and self supporting, and integrallyconnected to the inner pedestal 42 by the reinforced interstitial floor38 which maybe also be of bolted RTP construction and reinforced bysteel beams and the like as described herein. Alternatively, the RTP maybe assembled in an elevated position—that is, lifted into the desiredlocation by cranes or the like and then bolted in their respective finalpositions.

At the based of the skirt wall 22, which in this instance forms an outersupport pedestal, a lower access door 72 is provided. Access to themechanical operation room 46, the inner spiral staircase 36, and theaccess platforms and upper spiral staircase is thus provided.

Among the several unique aspects of the present invention are that theskirt wall 22 of the pedestal 14 may be of bolted construction usingfactory coated RTP or other metal panels 16. In addition, the innersupport pedestal 14 may also be of bolted construction using RTP 16. Theuse of factory coated RTP which are bolted in place, mass produced, andshipped worldwide for assembly greatly increases the efficiency ofconstruction. The use of synchronized jacking equipment makes theoperation more efficient. However, as shown in FIG. 17, the tank may bebuilt using scaffold construction techniques. As shown in FIG. 17,scaffold support brackets 74 may be fastened by bolts or the like to thepanels during construction. In FIG. 17, the overlap 76 of the panels 16does not result in vertical alignment of the overlap 76 betweensuccessive vertical bands 70, so that the overlaps 76 are staggered.Alternatively, the tank 10 hereof maybe of a hybrid construction,including bolted RTP pedestals 14 and/or 40 and conventionalconstruction methods for other parts of the water tank 10. The inventionalso is not limited to RTP, but extends to any bolted panel supportpedestal for an elevated water tank, and is not limited to anyparticular panel shape or size. Thus, while RTP 16 construction is onepreferred embodiment, other panels whether or not rolled or tapered, andincluding flanged panels such as those known as API 12B flanged panelsor flat panels may be bolted together and used in the supportpedestal(s) of the present invention.

FIGS. 11 through 16 show alternative configurations of the tank 10hereof where a plurality of discrete support pedestals 14 are used tosupport the reservoir thereon. In FIGS. 11 through 16, a central supportpedestal 78 has pedestal walls of panels 16 for bolted panelconstruction as described above, along with peripheral pedestals 80situated radially outwardly therefrom, the support pedestals 80 alsohaving walls of panels 16 for bolted panels construction as describedabove. The central support pedestal 78 may include the mechanicaloperation room, stairways or other features, and be provided withsuitable access doors to gain entry. The peripheral pedestals 80 wouldtypically not require access or house an equipment room. The peripheralpedestals 80 may be arranged in a circular pattern to be substantiallyequidistant from central support pedestal 78 as shown in FIGS. 11 and12, and also in FIGS. 15 and 16, or be positioned in a rectangularorientation as shown by the central pedestal 78 and support pedestals 80of FIGS. 13 and 14. The central pedestal 78 may be larger in diameterthan the support pedestals 80, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, or be ofsubstantially the same diameter as shown in FIGS. 13-16. A support grid82 maybe provided of diagonally oriented pedestal stiffeners 84 to helpreinforce and strengthen the plural pedestal construction. The pedestalstiffeners 84 may be bolted to the panels 16, or in addition oralternatively bolted to other pedestals stiffeners 84 intersectingtherewith, and to pedestal stiffeners 44 within the pedestal walls. Thepedestal stiffeners 84 may be of structural members such as I-beams orstructural angles.

Bolted water tank technology is thus advanced by using specializedpowder coating RTP which provides extended service life to steel storagetanks for storing potable water, or other panels which may be boltedtogether. The resistance to corrosion and extended service life providedby powder coated panels enables constructors to provide extendedreservoir and pedestal warranties. The construction method of thepresent invention avoids the necessity of field construction personnelto work at elevated heights. The use of bolted technology and integratedconstruction of the elevated water tank 10 of the present invention, andin particular the outer pedestal 14 and the inner pedestal 42 permitsconstruction almost entirely at grade level using synchronized hydraulicscrew jacks and associated equipment such as jacks 66, which alsoprovides a safer construction workplace than typical elevatedconstruction techniques. Alternatively, the elevated water tank 10 ofthe present invention can be erected from RTP using traditional elevatedconstruction methods. In either event the elevated water tank hereofprovides the ability to mass produce elevated water tanks having longlife coating protection, modular construction, and safe, fast andefficient construction methods.

The bolted panel pedestal construction hereof permits the invention tobe used with virtually any type of elevated reservoir 12 located abovethe pedestal. Thus, the present invention provides a flexible andefficient method of construction for the pedestal regardless of whetherbolted RTP construction is used for the reservoir or precast panels orother types of construction are used.

Although preferred forms of the invention have been described above, itis to be recognized that such disclosure is by way of illustration only,and should not be utilized in a limiting sense in interpreting the scopeof the present invention. Obvious modifications to the exemplaryembodiments, as hereinabove set forth, could be readily made by thoseskilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the presentinvention.

The inventor hereby states his intent to rely on the Doctrine ofEquivalents to determine and assess the reasonably fair scope of hisinvention as pertains to any apparatus not materially departing from butoutside the literal scope of the invention as set out in the followingclaims.

1. An elevated water tank comprising: a foundation; a reservoir forholding water therein; and a support pedestal positioned on thefoundation for supporting the reservoir thereabove, said supportpedestal including a plurality of metal panels and bolts coupling saidplurality of metal panels together.
 2. An elevated water tank as setforth in claim 1, wherein said metal panels are of rolled tapered panelconstruction having surrounding margins, the margins of one of saidpanels overlapping at least one adjacent panel, and having a sealantbetween overlapping panels.
 3. An elevated water tank as set forth inclaim 1, wherein said metal panels are arranged side-by-side in bands, aplurality of said bands being arranged one atop another with the panelsof a lowerband being in substantial vertical alignment with the panelsof a band immediately thereabove.
 4. An elevated water tank as set forthin claim 1, wherein said pedestal includes a plurality of substantiallyupright stiffeners extending upwardly from said foundation and whereinsaid metal panels are bolted to said upright stiffeners.
 5. An elevatedwater tank as set forth in claim 1, wherein said reservoir isconstructed of a plurality of metal panels which are bolted together andtogether with the pedestal has a continuous, integral outer wall.
 6. Anelevated water tank as set forth in claim 1, wherein said pedestalsupport includes an outer pedestal substantially in vertical alignmentwith an outer, water-containing wall of the reservoir.
 7. An elevatedsupport tank as set forth in claim 6, wherein said pedestal includes aninner support pedestal located interiorly of and spaced inwardly of saidouter pedestal.
 8. An elevated support tank as set forth in claim 1,wherein said pedestal is an inner pedestal located below and radiallyinward of an outer, water-containing wall extending upwardly from thefoundation to a support floor of the reservoir.
 9. An elevated supporttank as set forth in claim 1, wherein said panels are substantiallyarcuate in plan and form an arcuate outer wall of the pedestal.
 10. Amethod of constructing an elevated water tank, comprising the steps of:providing a foundation; bolting together a plurality of metal panels toform a support pedestal; and constructing a reservoir atop the supportpedestal.
 11. A method of constructing an elevated water tank as setforth in claim 10, including the step of providing a plurality ofcircumferentially spaced upright stiffeners and supporting saidstiffeners on said foundation, and bolting said panels to saidstiffeners.
 12. A method of constructing an elevated water tank as setforth in claim 10, including the step of placing at least some of saidpanels in overlapping relationship to one another, and providing asealant between said overlapping panels.
 13. A method of constructing anelevated water tank as set forth in claim 10, including the step ofbolting the panels together to provide circumferentially extendingbands, bolting a lower band of said panels to a next upper band of saidpanels, and then raising said lower band of said panels and said upperband of said panels and bolting a further band of said panels to saidlower band of panels.
 14. A method of constructing an elevated watertank as set forth in claim 10, wherein said pedestal is an outerpedestal, and including the step of bolting together a plurality ofmetal panels to provide an inner pedestal positioned interiorly of saidouter pedestal.